Changes
by Amelyah17
Summary: What if Mac's life was changed forever that day he was sent into that bank in Hostage? What if someone very special to Mac was also in that bank and he didn't even know it?
1. Hostage Situation

**Ok, so I've tried to do this story a couple times before and didn't like the way it turned out. This is a re-write and I like the way it's going. I've posted the first two chapters. I'll try to update more chapters as soon as possible. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this story. **

**(Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:NY)**

**(Spoilers for the Season Four finale, Hostage)**

**Chapter One: Hostage Situation**

Mac Taylor stood in the doorway of the back stairwell of the First National Bank in Manhattan staring the assailant right in the face. Mac knew he didn't have a choice. The robber had asked for a member of the crime lab to prove his innocence and Mac wasn't about to let anyone on his team risk their lives if he could help it. Mac had to admit that he loved his team like family. Basically they were the only family he had, except for his mother, who lived in Chicago.

Mac's attention was drawn back to the robber as he went through his crime scene kit, pulled out the utility knife and slid it back to Mac with his foot.

"Come on, let's go," the robber instructed.

Mac sighed quietly and reluctantly followed the robber into the bank after picking up his kit.

"Where's the body?" Mac asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Over there, now go," the robber said and pointed towards the open vault door.

Mac walked over to the vault, all the while noting the scenery of the bank. He looked over the hostages one by one and noticed something a little odd. There was a young girl that couldn't have been more than about thirteen or fourteen years old. Mac didn't have long to think about it before the robber was yelling at him to get moving.

"Go!" shouted the robber and motioned toward the body.

Once inside the vault Mac started to process the scene before him. He noted a small void in the blood pool coming from the victim's gunshot wound.

Mac turned to face the robber, "I gave you what you wanted, now are you going to keep up your end of the bargain?"

A hostage and masked bank robber came bursting out of the front doors of the bank. The terrified bank robber ran directly to Don Flack.

Back inside the bank the robber was keeping a close watch on Mac as he processed the scene.

The robber tossed a bag of money and Mac's handcuffs he had snatched from him and told him to put one end on the bag and one end around his ankle. Mac just stared at him like he was nuts. The robber just motioned for him to oblige. Mac had no choice.

"You got a name?" Mac asked as he was processing.

"It's Joe." Was all the robber said.

"OK, so what's your real name?" Mac wasn't buying any of it.

"All you need to know is that it's Joe," Joe said, irate.

When Mac was taking pictures he snuck one in of a reflection of Joe when he wasn't looking and sent them to the lab. Danny and Adam quickly figured out that Mac was trying to help them ID the robber and ran his picture through every conceivable database.

When Mac was over by the computer sending the photos he once again surveyed the hostages. Something wasn't right.

"You a cop?" one hostage asked.

"Crime scene investigator."

"I'm three months pregnant, I don't want to die!" another hostage whisper-yelled.

"I'm only fourteen years old!" the scared young girl informed Mac.

Upon closer look of the girl, Mac noted she had blood on her and some bruises. "What the hell happened in here?" Mac wondered to himself.

Mac leaned down so he was on the young girl's level, "Are you hurt?" he asked her.

She nervously shook her head but before Mac could inquire further, Joe motioned for him to get back to processing.

"Hang in there Sweetie, I'm gonna get you out of here," Mac promised her.

The girl just nodded, visibly scared.

Outside Mac knew Hostage Recovery was getting restless. Mac continued to process while Joe yelled to whoever was on the other end of that phone he was on. With Sid's help, via telephone, Mac removed the bullets from the victim and compared them to the one the Joe fired off when he entered the bank.

After Mac informs Joe that the bullets are too damaged to get a positive reading, Joe yells at Mac to get down with the rest of the hostages. Mac recants and Joe calms down. Mac tells him he's got one more science procedure to try and returns to the vault.

Mac waits for just the right moment and ambushes the suspect. They wrestle to the ground and Mac manages to get the gun away from Joe. Mac grabs the gun and aims it at Joe. Joe grabs the young girl in an attempt to get Mac to back down. Mac could tell the girl was terrified. She was visibly shaken and on the verge of tears. Mac recants and brings the gun down.

"Just let her go Joe, she didn't do anything wrong." Mac pleaded.

Joe loosened his grip on the girl for just long enough for Mac to grab her and get her behind him. She looked at Mac with terror in her eyes. Mac gave her a reassuring look.

Joe finally breaks down and tells Mac that they will kill his family if they see Mac walk him out of the bank and that they have to get to them first. Mac agrees and makes Joe give up all his bullets before they go.

"The girl comes too!" Joe told Mac.

Mac knew this wasn't a good idea but he knew arguing was an even worse idea. Mac used the red phone from earlier to communicate to Stella that they were on their way out of the bank.

"They're coming out!" Stella shouted, ready to put their plan into action.

When Joe, Mac and the young girl came bursting out of the bank into the daylight, Don and Stella shared a look of, "This isn't gonna be pretty," when they saw the girl with Mac. The three got into the unmarked NYPD car that Joe had requested and Joe ordered Mac to drive. Stella knew they needed to get to Joe's family's house before Mac and Joe did. When they arrived, they weren't prepared for what they saw… the house was completely empty.

"Well, obviously no one lives here," Stella proclaimed.

She knew right then that something wasn't right and that Mac and that young girl were probably in grave danger.

Back inside the NYPD SUV, Mac heard Joe load a bullet into his gun.

"You kept a bullet…" Mac said, knowing things had just gone from bad to worse.

**To be continued…**


	2. Mac Needs Answers

**(Minor Spoilers for the Season Five premiere, Veritas)**

**Mac Needs Answers**

Mac woke up underwater. He had no idea where he was he just knew he need air…now. He quickly pushed himself to the surface and gasped for air. He felt dizzy. He waded to shore and stumbled out of the water into the weeds. He pushed through the weeds and when he finally made it to a nearby road, he flagged down a driver for help. At first she was reluctant to help.

"I'm an NYPD crime scene investigator. I'm injured. I need to use your phone," Mac tried to convince.

It must have worked because next thing Mac knew she was handing him her phone. He immediately called Stella, knowing full well that she would be frantically searching for him.

"What are the odds I can get you to a hospital?" Stella asked when she walked over to Mac sitting in the back of an ambulance after being briefed about the case.

"Good luck, Detective. I've already tried. He swears he's fine," The emergency worker told Stella.

"We need to process that car," Mac said as the car was being pulled out of the lake.

"Sorry, Mac. We're in Jersey PD jurisdiction. They said all we can do was take pictures of the scene," Flack said as he walked up to them.

"It's an NYPD vehicle!" Stella says, getting angry.

"Sorry, Stell, they want no part of a joint investigation," Flack told her.

Stella just mutters something in Greek.

Flack then has to point out the obvious. "Mac, there was a young girl with you when you guys left the bank. Do you have any idea where she could be now?"

It came rushing back to Mac…the girl. Where was this girl? Was she still alive? Mac certainly hoped so.

Mac shook his head, "Sorry, Don, I don't know where she is," Mac said with regret in his voice.

"I'll get Jersey PD on it right away," Flack said and turned to leave.

"You should be at home, Mac," Hawkes said as he fell in step with his boss at the lab.

"That guy tried to kill me and we've got a missing young girl, I'm not gonna stay home and sip soup," was Mac's answer.

Hawkes should've known he'd say something like that.

OK, but promise me if you feel bad at all or have any vomiting…" Hawkes trailed off.

Mac just nodded at Hawkes and headed toward the Trace Lab where he knew Lindsay was working on the clothes he was wearing earlier.

After Lindsay discovered that Mac had been shot and joked around saying he should buy a few more of those shirts Mac left the Trace Lab and headed into his office.

Stella's phone rang later that day. It was Jersey PD. They had told her they had found the young girl and that the hospital would be faxing over a copy of her DNA results for comparison. Adam was in the DNA Lab when the results were faxed in. He grabbed the paper and looked at the results, hoping for a name. What he saw wasn't what he was expecting at all. He had to have answers so he called the hospital to verify. He had dropped the phone when the hospital verified that the results were legit.

Stella walked into the DNA Lab to retrieve the fax from the hospital.

"Whoa, Adam, what's gotten into you?" Stella asked as she had seen what happened.

Adam didn't know where to start. "Stella, I got the results from the DNA on that young girl the hospital and I called to verify and it's true and I don't know how Mac's gonna take it and..." Adam rambled.

"Adam, whoa, slow down, start over. What is it?" Stella asked.

Adam just handed her the piece of paper with the results on it.

After Stella read the results she said, "And you called and verified this?"

Adam just nodded. Stella didn't say anything more. She just left the DNA lab with the paper in hand and set out to find Mac.

She knocked on the door to Mac's office. Mac motioned to Stella to come in. She took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Mac's desk nervously.

"Jersey PD found that young girl from the bank, Mac," Stella began.

Stella could tell Mac was visibly relieved. Maybe someday she could get Mac to tell her what went on in that bank.

"Mac, there's more," Stella began once again. "We got comparative DNA results faxed over from the hospital…" Stella continued, uneasy.

"Do we have a name on her?" Mac asked. Eager to find out this girl's story.

"No, but I definitely think there's something you need to see," Stella said, handing Mac the piece of paper.

Mac studied the paper and he couldn't believe his eyes. According to the results, the young girl in that bank shared DNA with Mac and Claire at all 13 loci…She was Mac and Claire's daughter. Mac and Claire's DNA were both in the system because Mac worked for the NYPD and Claire had been a government worker before the Towers had fallen.

Mac's head was spinning. He couldn't think straight. What was happening? The only child Claire had that Mac knew of was Reed and he wasn't Mac's.

"Is this right Stella?" Mac asked, thoroughly confused.

"Yep; Adam called the hospital and verified it," Stella assured him.

"I don't understand. Why didn't Claire tell me?" Mac asked, more for his own benefit than Stella's.

"Who else knows about this?" Mac asked Stella.

"Just me and Adam," Stella told him.

"Alright, let's keep it that way for now. I just need some time to figure things out," Mac told her.

"Sure thing Mac. I'm gonna go check on the team and see where they are at with the evidence," Stella said.

Mac just nodded. He needed some answers. He picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number, though not dialed often.

"Hello?" came the voice on the other end. It was Claire's dad, Charles Conrad.

"Charles, it's Mac. There's something I need to talk to you about. Can we meet somewhere in an hour?" Mac said.

"Sure, is everything OK?" Charles replied.

"It will be," Mac added vaguely.

They set up a meeting time and place and hung up. Mac was going to get the answers he wanted and so desperately needed.

**To be continued…**


	3. Mac Gets Answers

**Mac Gets Answers**

"Where's Mac?" Lindsay asked Stella as they went over the evidence they had against Joe. "It's not like him to not be here, especially after being held hostage."

Stella knew Mac didn't want the team to know what he was doing yet so she had to think on her feet.

"Oh, uh…he had some personal business to take care of. Didn't say much to me about it…just said to keep working on the case," Stella offered.

Lindsay gave Stella a look that said she wasn't buying it but took it at face value anyway.

"Claire came to us a few weeks before you were set to deploy to Beirut, Mac. Said she was pregnant," Charles began to explain after Mac had told him why he had called.

"Why didn't she tell me?" Mac asked.

"She was scared, Mac. You were leaving the country in a few weeks and she knew you didn't want kids then," Charles continued. "She wanted to tell you, Mac…she really didn't but she couldn't work up the courage to tell you before you left for Beirut. She didn't want you to come home to a two-year-old so she put the baby up for adoption. She knew she was wrong; felt guilty for months, years even, afterwards.

Mac couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why did Claire feel she couldn't tell him she was pregnant?

Charles continued. "She contemplated tell you so many times. She was scared you'd be angry with her and leave her."

"Charles, you know that I love your daughter very much. We would've worked through it," Mac told him.

"I know that, Mac. Her mother and I tried to tell her that too but she wouldn't listen to us," Charles said after a sip of iced tea.

"So that must've been what she was trying to tell me…" Mac's voice trailed off.

Charles gave him a confused look.

"The day before the Towers fell," Mac started, "she was trying to tell me something but I got called to a high profile case and she didn't get to finish." "She never got to tell me…"

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this, Mac," Charles sympathized. "Can you tell me one thing though? Is she OK? You mentioned she was in some kind of hostage situation…"

"I haven't talked to the hospital yet but Jersey PD found her and she's stable is what I know. I'll keep you updated," Mac told the older man.

"Thanks. Do you have any more questions for me?" Charles asked.

"I do; do you know her name?" Mac asked.

"Hannah Adrian," Charles said with a smile.

"Does she…" Mac started but trailed off.

"Have your last name? Yes." Charles finished for Mac, obviously knowing what he was going to say.

After Mac paid the bill, both men stood up to leave. They shook hands and went their separate ways. Mac left there feeling satisfied with what he had found out. What he didn't know was what Hannah was doing in that bank in the first place.

Back at the lab Stella was eager to hear what Mac had learned. After a few minutes of lurking outside Mac's office waiting for the perfect moment to enter Mac had seen her and waved her in.

"You know you could've just come in. You didn't have to stand there and lurk," Mac said with his signature smirk.

Stella entered Mac's office and closed the door behind her after which she sat down in the chair in front of Mac's desk.

"So?"

Mac told Stella everything Charles had told him.

"So now what, Mac?" Stella asked.

"Now… now it's time to tell the team. Then I have to figure out what she was doing in that bank," Mac told her. "Gather everyone in the conference room and I'll be there in ten minutes."

Stella exited Mac's office and gathered everyone in the conference room.

"I wonder what's going on," Adam commented.

"Yeah," Hawkes agreed.

Before anyone could inquire any further Mac had stepped into the room.

"I'm sure by now you're all wondering what's been going on with me," Mac started.

There was simultaneous head nodding in response.

Mac began his story once more. The look on everyone's faces was shock. No one knew what to say or who should say it first. Finally, Flack broke the silence.

"Well, this just means we have to work even harder to catch this sunovabitch," Flack said in his New York accent.

"What's the plan Mac?" Danny asked, ready to take this case on full force.

"Flack, you go over to Trinity in case Hannah wakes up; Danny and Lindsay keep working on the evidence we've already got; Adam, keep working on the surveillance; and Stella, you're with me," Mac told them.

"Sure thing, Mac," Flack replied.

After that, everyone left to start their designated jobs and Flack headed to the hospital.

**To be continued…**

**Here ya go guys. Here's the REAL chapter 3. Sorry about the confusion. Thanks for the reviews and I hope you continue to read. I'm working on getting chapters 4 and 5 up today or shortly thereafter. Thanks again for reading!**


	4. Now What?

**Now What?**

Flack arrived at the hospital not too long after he left the crime lab, promising to keep Mac updated on anything that happened with Hannah. Mac had said that he personally wanted to hunt down the sunovabitch that did this. It didn't take long to locate Hannah's doctor.

"What can you tell me on the condition of Hannah Taylor?" Flack asked.

"We did some tests and she didn't sustain any life threatening injuries. We gave her a sedative but that was a while ago. She should be awake by now," the doctor informed Flack.

"Can I go in and see her?" Flack asked?

"Sure, but Detective, go easy on her," the doctor said, knowing full well that Flack was going in there to take Hannah's statement.

Flack just nodded. Instead of going in the direction of Hannah's room he went the other direction outside to call Mac.

"Taylor," Mac answered.

"Hey Mac, I just talked to Hannah's doctor and she's awake. I just wanted to check with you. Are you sure you want me to take her statement?" Flack confirmed.

"Go ahead Don. Someone has to and I'd much rather it be you than anyone else. Just be gentle on her please," Mac told his friend.

Mac knew he didn't really have to add the last part. He knew Don would go easy on his daughter. That was just who he was.

"Sure thing, Mac; talk to you later," Flack said and hung up.

After hanging up with Mac, Flack headed back inside the hospital and down the hall to Hannah's room. He softly knocked on the doorframe of her open door.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Don asked her.

"I'm ok, just sore," Hannah told him.

"I'm Detective Don Flack from the NYPD Crime Lab. You feeling up to talking about what happened?" Flack asked her.

Hannah just nodded, sat up in bed and pulled her knees to her chest.

"If this gets too hard for you, you just tell me and we'll stop, OK?" Flack assured her.

"OK," Hannah said softly.

"OK, I'm gonna need you to state your name, for the record," Don lied. Hannah had no idea he already knew who she was.

"Hannah Taylor," Hannah told Don.

"It's nice, I like that," Don told Hannah with a smile.

"Age?" Don asked.

"Fourteen," Hannah replied.

"OK, those were the easy questions. Tell me everything you remember, OK? Now if this gets too tough just let me know and we'll stop," Flack told her.

"No, it's OK. I can do this," Hannah told him.

Flack had only known her for a few minutes and he could already see the same fire and drive in her that Mac had.

"What were you doing in that bank on a school day?" Flack asked her.

"Today was career day for the freshmen at my high school, Hillridge High School. We were supposed to pick a parent to go to work with for the day and since I only my dad, well, adoptive dad but he's the only one I've ever known, I went to the bank with him. My dad was the bank manager that got shot," Hannah told him, a single tear escaping.

Flack had no idea that is what she would tell him. He had no clue that she had any ties to the gunned down bank manager.

Flack handed her a glass of water that was on the table next to her bed, "Do you wanna stop?" he asked her.

Hannah shook her head, "No, I wanna get through this."

"OK, so I know why you were in the bank but what happened after the gunman arrived?" Flack asked her.

"I was standing behind the counter when the gunman arrived. My dad was standing in the vault putting counting the money when the robbers entered the bank. There were two of them. They were pretty big guys too," Hannah told Flack.

Flack knew Mac wouldn't like Hannah referring to the bank manager as "dad" but he also knew that that was all she had ever known.

"Go on," Flack urged her.

"I ducked down behind the counter so they wouldn't see me. That's when I heard…" Hannah hesitated a bit.

"You OK?" Flack asked her, genuinely concerned.

Hannah nodded, "I heard a gunshot and then some rustling around in the vault. I guess that's when they took the money."

"Then what happened?" Flack asked her with a gentle look on his face.

"After I hear them leave, I ran over to my dad to try and help him. Not too long after that, that other guy entered the bank and fired a shot into the ceiling," Hannah said, starting to cry.

"I froze, Detective. Did I do the wrong thing?" Hannah asked, visibly upset.

"No Sweetie, you haven't done anything wrong," Flack assured her.

Hannah just nodded and wiped her tears away.

"You OK to keep going?" Flack asked her.

"Yeah," she replied softly.

"OK, what happened after the second robber entered?" Flack prompted.

"He came into the vault, saw my dad then saw me. He made everyone get down on the floor. It wasn't too long after that that other detective showed up," Hannah told him.

"I have one last question for you. Where's your adoptive mother?" Flack asked.

"She passed away from a car accident about a year ago; drunk driver hit her," Hannah told him.

"Thank you, Hannah, you did great. Feel better," Flack told her before he stood up to leave.

"Thanks Detective Flack," Hannah said.

"Call me Don," Flack said with a smile as he got up to leave.

"Don?" Hannah said shyly just before Flack reached the door.

He turned back to look at her.

"What's gonna happen to me now that both of my adoptive parents are dead? I don't want to go through the foster care system," Hannah said.

Flack had to think on his feet. He knew Mac was going to tell her later today but he didn't know what to tell her right now so he just said the first thing he could think of. He didn't even know if it made sense.

"The NYPD will make sure you're well taken care of," _which isn't a lie_, Flack thought as he told her.

Hannah seemed to take for what it was and said, "Thanks Don."

"You're welcome, kiddo," Don said and left her room.

Hannah's story would later be back up by the evidence that Mac and Stella had found leading them right to Joe, or Ethan Scott as they had discovered, as the man who shot the first robber. After they had arrested Ethan, everyone was gathered in the break room at the lab, except for Mac and Stella who were in Mac's office.

"What do I say to her, Stella?" Mac asked as he paced the floor in his office.

"Mac, you need to calm down. You're gonna pace a hole in the floor," Stella joked as she swiveled back and forth in the chair behind Mac's desk.

"I'm serious, Stella, it's not like I've ever done this before," Mac protested and kept pacing.

Stella stopped swiveling and leaned forward, "Just tell her the truth and answer any questions she may have. This is going to be really confusing for her," Stella told him.

"Thanks Stell," Mac said as he turned to leave his office.

Shortly after that Stella had joined the others in the break room.

"Did Mac go to the hospital?" Lindsay asked after Stella had gotten a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, he's on his way there now," Stella replied and sat down next to Hawkes at the table.

So many things were racing through Mac's head as he drove to the hospital. Would she like him? Would she want to live with him? He was half tempted to turn his siren on.

**To be continued…**

**Here's chapter 4! Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying my story so far. So much more to come! I'm going to try and get chapter 5 up today as well. Stay tuned! **


	5. The Truth Comes Out

**The Truth Comes Out**

Mac didn't get nervous very often but for this his stomach felt like he had a swarm of butterflies in it. He parked the Avalanche in one of the hospital's parking garages. When Mac got out he thought his legs were going to fail him. He made his way into the hospital but didn't go straight to Hannah's room; instead he went to the gift shop to pick out something for her. Once he had decided on a gift for her he headed up to the eighth floor.

Mac swallowed hard when he got to Hannah's room. He knocked on the door frame.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Mac asked.

He had to admit he could see some of Claire in her.

"I'm good; just sore," she replied.

Just then Mac remembered the gift he had gotten for her. He was actually surprised they had had one at the hospital gift shop. It was a stuffed beagle with floppy ears wearing an NYPD t-shirt.

"I got this for you," Mac said, handing Hannah the bag.

"Aw, thanks Detective!" Hannah said when she pulled the dog out.

"You like it?" Mac asked.

"Yeah, it's cute," Hannah said with a smile.

"We caught him; the guy that did this to you Hannah," Mac said at a loss for words which was unusual for him.

"Thanks Detective; for saving my life," Hannah said, genuinely appreciative.

Mac just nodded at her, not sure of what to say next but before he could, Hannah spoke.

"You know, I never did get your name. You saved my life I should at least know your name," she said.

Mac's breath caught. He knew it was now or never. He had to tell her.

"My name is Mac…" Mac hesitated. "Mac Taylor," he said and let his breath out.

Hannah just nodded, apparently not making the connection.

"Hannah, there's something really important I need to talk to you about," Mac started.

Hannah sat up straighter in bed to listen.

"As you know, I'm a crime scene investigator for the NYPD Crime Lab," Mac started.

Hannah nodded her understanding.

"That means I work with DNA from the victims and the perpetrators most of the time," Mac continued. "In this case my lab made a match with you…," Mac paused. "…to me. I'm you're biological father, Hannah."

The shock was written all over her face.

"Let me explain…" Mac said quickly.

Hannah just looked at him and nodded.

"I recently found out myself," he told her. "Fourteen years ago I was in the Marine Corps and I was getting ready to be deployed to Beirut. Shortly before I was set to deploy, your mother found out she was pregnant with you. She was scared to tell me because I was leaving. She didn't get a chance to tell me before I left. She didn't want me to come home to an eighteen month old baby for fear that I'd get mad and leave her so she gave you up for adoption. She thought it was her only option. Years later she tried to tell me but once again didn't get the chance to."

Mac hoped she was understanding what he was telling her.

"Where's my mom now?" Hannah asked him.

Mac swallowed hard. He should've known that she'd ask that.

"I'm sorry, Hannah, but your mother died on September eleventh," Mac told her.

She took it surprisingly well Mac thought.

"Did you ever get remarried?" Hannah asked.

"No," Mac told her solemnly.

Mac could tell Hannah was taking this rather well so he pushed on.

"Hannah, it's up to you but if you want to I'd like you to come live with me so we can finally be a family," Mac told her.

Hannah smiled, "I'd like that she said." "I've always wondered what my birth parents were like."

Mac breathed a silent sigh of relief. He was glad Hannah was taking this well. He could really see a lot of Claire in her.

"You feeling up to some more company?" Mac asked her. My team is dying to meet you."

"Sure," Hannah said with a smile.

Mac made a call and pretty soon after that the rest of the team was at the hospital in Hannah's room.

"Hannah I'd like you to meet, Danny Messer, Lindsay Monroe, Sheldon Hawkes, Stella Bonasera, Sid Hammerback, Adam Ross, and you've already met Don Flack," Mac introduced and pointed to each person. "You'll be spending a lot of time with these guys I'm sure," Mac added with his signature half smile.

After the introductions the team gathered around Hannah's bed and gave her the flowers, balloons, and teddy bears they had brought for her. The team stuck around for a while until Flack got called about a scene.

"Hey guys, we've got a scene. We've gotta go Mac. See you soon Hannah," Flack said and he and the rest of the team bid their goodbyes and left.

"I think you're really gonna like my team," Mac told her. "They've become like family to me. I love those guys," Mac said, smiling, thinking about all the good times he's had with his team.

"I already like them," Hannah said, smiling.

Mac smiled and said, "I'm gonna go get a cup of coffee, I'll be right back."

She nodded and Mac left the room.

When he returned he went over to the window to look out. After a few minutes Hannah broke the silence.

"Dad?" Hannah said catching Mac's attention.

This caught Mac off guard. He didn't expect that so soon. He walked over to her bed and sat down by her knees.

"I'm really glad we found each other," she told him and sat up in bed and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Me too, Sweetie, me too," Mac told her and kissed her temple.

**To be continued…**

**Here's the next chapter! I can't thank you guys enough for reading. If you like this story, let me know with a review. =) I'll try and post the next chapter very soon. Enjoy!**


	6. What's Next?

**What's Next?**

"I heard a rumor you were getting out of here today," Mac said cheerfully as he walked into Hannah's hospital room.

"Yes, and I couldn't be more ready!" Hannah said, exasperated.

"I bet," Mac said with a smile, sitting down on the edge of Hannah's bed.

Mac set some clothes down on the bed for Hannah. After Sid had released the body to the morgue Mac had gone with the bank manager's next of kin to his house to get Hannah's stuff to bring to Mac's apartment.

Hannah displayed the clothes before her. Mac had brought her a pair of black track pants with two white stripes on the sides of each leg and a gray tee shirt that said NYPD on it in black letters.

"You got me an NYPD shirt?" Hannah asked, smiling.

"Of course, the daughter of the head of the NYPD crime lab has to have an NYPD shirt," Mac said with his signature half smile.

"Thanks Dad, this is really cool," she said and moved across the bed to give him a hug.

Just then a nurse interrupted them.

"What do you say we get that IV out of your arm so you can get changed and get out of here?" the cheerful nurse asked.

"Please!" Hannah said, eager to get out of the hospital.

The nurse gently removed Hannah's IV and covered the small hole on her arm with a cotton ball and bandage.

"Go ahead and get changed and I'll be back in a few minutes with the necessary paperwork to get you released," the nursed told Mac and Hannah and gathered her clip board and left.

Hannah grabbed the clothes that Mac had brought for her and went to the bathroom to change. A couple minutes later she emerged wearing the NYPD shirt Mac had bought her, her elbow-length, straight brown hair neatly brushed.

"Feel better?" Mac asked her.

"Much. It feels good to have regular clothes on again," Hannah told Mac, taking a seat on the bed next to him.

Shortly after that the nurse returned with the paperwork for Mac to sign.

"You ready?" Mac asked after he had signed everything and Hannah was officially released.

"Let's go," Hannah replied.

They walked in comfortable silence down the hall to the parking garage where the Avalanche was parked. Halfway down the hall Mac put his arm around Hannah's shoulders as they walked.

"Are we going home?" Hannah asked when they were seated in Mac's Avalanche.

"We're gonna make some stops first," Mac said with a smile.

Hannah just sat back and enjoyed the ride, happy to be anywhere but in that hospital bed.

Pretty soon they had arrived that Mac's intended location: the twelfth precinct of the NYPD.

Hannah climbed out when Mac brought the Avalanche to a stop and walked alongside Mac into the precinct and right to Don Flack's desk.

"Hey kiddo! How're doing?" Flack greeted her happily.

"Hey Don! I feel much better. It's good to be out of the hospital," she told him.

"Hey, nice shirt," Flack said with a smile, noticing her NYPD shirt.

"You ready to go get the others?" Mac asked Don.

Yeah, let me just tell the chief I'm leaving," Flack said.

After Flack had disappeared, Hannah turned to Mac and asked, "What's going on?"

"If you feel up to it we're gonna go get the rest of the team and go out for pizza," Mac told her.

"That sounds like fun," Hannah told him.

Flack returned and placed his badge and gun into his desk drawer and they were ready to go. They took Mac's Avalanche and Flack's BMW over to the lab. When they arrived they took the elevator up to the thirty-fifth floor.

"Hey! Look who it is!" Danny said when he saw the trio enter and pulled Hannah into a hug.

This attracted the attention of the rest of the team.

"Hey guys, let's not smother my kid," Mac joked.

As Stella stood by and watched the scene unfold she had to admit that she'd seen a chance in Mac since he found Hannah and it was a change for the better.

"You guys ready to go?" Mac asked his team.

As if in response Adam's stomach growled loudly. This made everyone laugh loudly.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Mac said. "Hannah, Stell, and Hawkes, you guys are with me; Danny, Lindsay, Adam, and Sid will ride with Flack. Let's go."

Shortly after they arrive at the pizza place because traffic was light.

"How many?" the waitress asked.

"Nine," Mac told her.

"Alright, follow me," the waitress said.

The waitress placed them at table near the back where they wouldn't be bothered and drink orders were placed.

"Are you nervous to go into high school in the fall, Hannah?" Lindsay asked her.

"Wait, I thought you were already in high school? In the hospital you told me it was career day for the freshmen," Flack said, confused.

"At the end of the school year the area high schools have a career day for the incoming freshmen for the next school year. I won't actually start high school until September," she informed Flack.

Flack just gave her a _that's way too confusing for me_ look. They kept talking until the waitress came to take their orders. They ordered their food and continued to talk until it arrived. Somehow they had gotten on the subject of crazy things that had happened at the lab.

"Yeah, this one time," Stella said between bites of food, "your dad took me to a dog show and we bet on which dog would win and guess who lost."

"I still can't believe you made me pay!" Mac said in defense.

"Remember that time that Danny brought that dog to the lab and it looked like him?" Hawkes brought up.

This made everyone laugh.

"OK, someone please explain that one," Hannah said.

Hawkes told the story and everyone started laughing again.

"It didn't look that much like me!" Danny defended.

"It really did Danny," Hawkes said and burst into laughter again.

They shared a few more stories and laughs until Lindsay noticed it was getting late. Mac paid the bill and they all went their separate ways.

"You ready to go home?" Mac asked.

"Very; I'm tired," Hannah replied.

"Let's get you home then," Mac said and guided her to the Avalanche.

Once they got home Mac guided Hannah inside the lobby and into the elevator. He pushed the button for the fourth floor and the doors closed and the elevator started to move. The doors opened and Mac and Hannah stepped out and walked down the hall to the apartment.

"You ready?" Mac asked Hannah before he unlocked the door.

She nodded at him and he opened the door and let them in. He gave her the tour and saved the room that was going to be hers for last.

"You ready to see your room?" Mac asked her.

It was the spare room he had been using as his home office. Hannah nodded and Mac proceeded to open the door.

"I know it doesn't look like much right now but we'll go get you some furniture tomorrow after you've had some sleep," Mac told her.

"I like it," Hannah told her.

"We'll make it look more like you soon, I promise," Mac told her.

"Sounds good to me," Hannah told him.

Hannah yawned and decided she was going to go to bed. She slept on the futon that was currently in her room. After she had fallen asleep Mac went into his room and went to bed himself.

**To be continued…**

**Here's the next chapter! I know it's kind of lacking in excitement but it'll get more exciting very soon I promise! As always thanks for reading and reviews are always welcome! Enjoy!**


	7. Meeting Someone Special

**Meeting Someone Special**

Stella walked past Mac's office and noticed he was in there so she decided to stop.

"'Hey Mac, you busy?" She asked from the doorway.

"Nah, come in." Mac told her, setting down the case file he was reading.

Stella stepped inside Mac's office and sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk.

"How're things going with you and Hannah?" Stella asked him.

"Great; I think she really likes it here with me," Mac told her.

Stella could tell there was something else Mac wasn't telling her.

"What is it, Mac?" Stella asked him as she toyed with the pen on his desk.

"Hmm?" Mac replied.

"Mac, we've been partners for ten years; something's bothering you," Stella told him matter-of-factly.

"How do I tell Hannah about Reed? She has a right to know her own brother, you know?" Mac confessed.

"Like I said before you told her you were her father, just be honest with her Mac. She's a tough kid. I think she'll be just fine," Stella told him.

Just then Stella's phone went off.

She looked at it and said, "I gotta go Mac."

Mac nodded at her.

As Stella stood up she went over to Mac, kissed him on the cheek and said, "Good luck, Mac," and left his office.

Mac just smiled and watched her walk away through the glass walls.

"Thanks for meeting me," Mac said after a sip of tea.

"No problem, Mac. What's up?" Reed said from the other side of the table.

Mac had decided he was going to tell Reed first, then Hannah.

"Do you remember a couple of years ago when you found me when looking for your mother and you asked me if Claire and I had ever had any other children?" Mac asked Reed.

"Yeah…" was all Reed said, confused.

"Well, back then I told you what I thought was the truth," Mac told Reed. "I've recently found out that isn't the case."

Reed looked even more confused.

"Let me explain," Mac continued.

"Fourteen years ago I was set to deploy to Beirut with the Marines. Your mother found out she was pregnant. She didn't get a chance to tell me before I left for Beirut. She didn't want me to come home to a two-year-old because she was scared I would leave her and she wouldn't have an abortion so she gave the baby up for adoption. We recently found each other about a month ago," Mac told him.

"Wow, Mac," Reed said.

"I'll answer any questions you have," Mac told him.

"Brother or sister?" Reed asked the older man.

"Sister; her name is Hannah." Mac told him.

"How old is she?" Reed asked.

"She's fourteen."

They continued to talk until Mac realized he had to be getting back to the lab.

"Do you have any more questions?" Mac asked before he left.

"I do. Can I meet her?" Reed asked.

"Sure," Mac said with a smile.

The two bid their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

When Mac got back in the Avalanche he saw that he had a text from Stella.

_How'd it go with Reed?_

Mac typed his reply. _Good. Telling Hannah tonight. _

Mac started the Avalanche and put it in Drive and drove back to the lab.

Mac got home from the lab that night around 7:00pm. Tonight was the night he was going to tell his daughter that she had a brother.

"Hey Sweetie, how was your day?" Mac asked her.

Hannah had spent her day at a cheerleading clinic for Hillridge High School to get ready for tryouts next month.

"Good. How was yours?" She replied.

"Good, nothing out of the ordinary. What do you say we order pizza for dinner tonight?" Mac asked her.

"Sounds good to me," Hannah replied.

They ordered the pizza and were promised it'd be there in thirty minutes or less. Sure enough, twenty-eight minutes later their pizza arrived. Mac tipped the delivery boy and got the pizzas. Mac grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge and they sat down at the kitchen table to eat.

"Hannah, there's something I need to tell you," Mac said after a bite of pizza.

Hannah just looked at him with those big green-blue eyes of hers.

"Just before your mom and I met she was in a relationship with who she thought was her high school sweetheart. She got pregnant and the father's parents wouldn't let him be involved in the baby's life. She was really young and couldn't raise a child by herself at the time so she gave the baby up to a very loving couple who could. I guess long story short here is you have a half-brother, Hannah," Mac explained to her.

Hannah seemed intrigued.

"What's his name?" Hannah asked.

"His name is Reed Garrett, he's twenty-four years old and lives right here in Manhattan," Mac told her.

"Can I meet him?" Hannah asked her father after getting herself another piece of pizza.

"Sure, Mac told her.

They finished their pizza as Hannah asked about a million more question about her brother. After dinner Hannah and Mac made their way to the living room to relax. Hannah was reading her book and Mac was watching TV. Around 8:30pm there was a knock on the door.

"You expecting someone?" Hannah asked.

"Actually, yes," Mac told her and got up to answer the door.

"Thanks for calling me, Mac," Reed said when Mac opened the door. "She's here?" Reed asked.

Mac nodded and stepped aside in the doorway so Reed could see Hannah sitting by the window reading.

"Hannah, there's someone I'd like you to meet," Mac said and Hannah looked up from her book.

Hannah stoop up and walked over to where Mac and Reed were standing.

"Hannah, this is Reed Garrett…you're brother," Mac introduced.

"Hey, Hannah," Reed greeted.

They moved over to the couch and immediately started talking like they'd known each other for years. Mac looked at the two of them and thought this was great. He had one pretty incredible kid. He'd decided to text Stella an update.

_Hannah met Reed. They're chatting away. Going great._

_That's really great Mac. _Was Stella's reply a few minutes later.

Hannah had noticed the scar across Reed's throat from the Cabbie Killer.

"If you don't mind me asking," she said, "What's that scar on your neck from?"

Reed looked at Mac for permission to tell his sister what had happened to him. Mac just nodded his approval.

"Well, a couple of years ago there was a serial killer who posed as a taxi driver in order to lure his victims. I was working as a blog writer back then and wanted an exclusive on the killer. I got a text message from someone who told me they knew who the killer was. As it turns out it was the cabbie killer and I ended up being kidnapped by him but your dad and his team came to my rescue and saved my life," Reed told her.

"That was you?!" Hannah said, surprised. "My dad had told me about the cabbie killer but he didn't say it was you!"

"Yeah, it was a pretty scary time. If it wasn't for your dad I don't know if I wouldn't have made it," Reed told her.

"Yeah, same for me; I don't know if I would've made it out of that bank without my dad," Hannah said.

Mac looked up from his phone, "You two talking about me?" he said jokingly.

Hannah and Reed just smiled and laughed.

"What do you say the three of us go get some ice cream?" Mac suggested.

Hannah and Reed looked at each other as confirmation.

"Sounds good to us," they said together.

This made Mac smile. They were already acting like brother and sister.

They decided to walk to the ice cream shop because it was a nice mid-summer night. When they arrived they ran into Flack and Angell who were out on a date.

"Hey guys, what're you doing here?" Flack asked when he saw them.

"Hannah and Reed met for the first time tonight and I decided to take them out for ice cream to celebrate," Mac informed them.

"Aw, that's great you guys. I had four older brothers, Hannah. We had a lot of fun growing up together," Angell said.

They got their ice cream and the group of five sat down and ate it together and chatted the whole time. When Mac noticed it was getting late and Hannah was getting tired they decided to leave.

"We'll see you guys later, we're gonna get going," Mac told them.

They all stood up to say their goodbyes and Reed gave Hannah a hug before they left and a handshake for Mac.

**To be continued…**

**Sorry it took me so long to post the next chapter. I was at my lake house this weekend and there's no internet down there. I hope you like it and thanks for reading. Reviews welcome! =)**


	8. Hannah Helps Flack

**(Loosely based on Rush to Judgment)**

**Hannah Helps Flack**

Flack was in some trouble. He was being accused of beating a kid to death in the interrogation room. If only there wasn't the commotion going on out in the main area of the precinct. If only Jess had gone in there with him. Things would be much different. Instead, Flack sat at his desk doing a crossword puzzle as the newest member of the "rubber-gun squad."

Hannah was at school when she heard what happened to Todd Flemming. She knew him…not well, but well enough. She especially didn't like how the two idiots she heard the news from were talking about Flack. She'd been around the team long enough now to love them like family and she wanted to help.

Hannah knew what she had to do. After school let out she walked to the precinct to visit Flack. When she saw Flack sitting at his desk she came up behind him and kissed his cheek lightly.

"Hey, Flack," she greeted with a smile.

"Hey, Sweetie," Flack said, actually smiling for the first time that day.

Hannah sat down in the chair next to Flack's desk and rested an elbow on the desk.

"I heard what happened. I'm sorry," she offered. "I know you'd never do anything like that."

"Thanks Hannah," Flack said with a small smile.

"I'm sure everything will work out for you and you'll be back on duty soon," she told him.

"I hope so. I'm not very good at these crossword puzzles," Flack joked.

Hannah laughed and said, "I can see that," noting all the eraser marks.

"You're not supposed to agree!" Flack said, mocking being hurt.

"You said it, not me," Hannah teased him. "Anyway, there's somewhere I have to be."

"Alright, Sweetie," Flack said.

As Hannah was walking away Flack stopped her.

"Hey Hannah?" Flack said.

Hannah stopped and turned around to look back at Flack.

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

Hannah just smiled at him and walked out of the precinct and to the crime lab. Mac had given Hannah her own code to the elevator so she could come visit him at work whenever she wanted. She punched in the code and soon arrived on the thirty-fifth floor. When the doors opened she stepped out. She was on a mission. She ran into Danny first.

"Hey, kid," Danny greeted.

"Hey, Danny. Have you seen my dad?" Hannah asked.

"He's in his office I think," Danny told her.

"Thanks. Oh hey, congrats Danny," Hannah said as she walked away towards Mac's office.

Danny knew what the congrats was for. Lindsay had told him she was pregnant.

Hannah walked into Mac's office and closed the door.

"Dad, I need to talk to you," she said, not wasting any time.

Mac looked up from his computer. "Um, hi? I thought you had cheerleading practice today after school?"

"I did but I told my coach there was something I had to do," Hannah told him quickly.

"Whoa Hannah, slow down. What is it?" Mac asked.

"I think I can help Flack," she blurted out.

"How?" Mac asked, confused.

"Well, I know Todd and he ran into me on the way to the locker room when Flack was taking him to change and he seemed upset. He's in my math class and I overheard him tell one of his friends that he was taking some kind of medicine for depression. Tell Sid to screen for that! Let me tell IA. I can get them to believe Flack didn't do anything!" Hannah begged her father.

Mac had to admire Hannah's willingness to want to help Flack but he didn't think it'd be a very good idea for her to talk to Internal Affairs. He didn't want her getting mixed up in this mess.

"Hannah, I'm not gonna let my fifteen year old daughter talk to IA. I don't want you getting mixed up in this. The evidence will support Don," Mac told her.

"Please Dad! I know I can help him," Hannah begged.

Mac could see the passion in her eyes. He couldn't tell her no.

"Fine, but I want to be there when you talk to them and I'll get Sid on that tox screen," Mac conceded.

Hannah got up and flung her arms around Mac.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed.

Mac left the room to get the IAB agent and left Hannah sitting on the couch in Mac's office.

"You ready?" Mac said when he returned.

"Let's do this," Hannah said, sure of what she was about to do.

(_Flashback as Hannah tells her story to IA)_

_Hannah was at cheerleading practice in the gym of Hillridge High School when she saw Flack and Angell walk in. The cheerleaders were sharing the gym with the wrestlers for their practice today. Hannah knew what happened to Coach Nelson. Hannah saw Flack and Angell walk over to assistant coach Donahue and ask to talk to Todd Flemming. _

_When practice was over Hannah went to the locker room to get her things. When Hannah exited the girls' locker room she ran face first into none other than Todd Flemming as he was entering the boys' locker room to change._

"_Move out of the way, Hannah!" Todd snapped and pushed passed her with his hands in his wrestling jacket pocket._

"How did Mr. Flemming seem when you ran into him outside of the locker room, Hannah?" the IAB agent asked her.

"He was angry; seemed like he wanted to get out of there in a hurry. Also, he had his hands in his jacket pockets and it sounded like he had something in there that was rattling around," Hannah explained.

"And where was Detective Flack when Mr. Flemming was changing?" IAB asked.

"He stood in the walkway between the boys' and girls' locker rooms, right outside the door. I had to walk passed him to get out to the main area of the gym," Hannah said.

"You told your dad, Detective Taylor, that you had overheard Flemming saying that he was taking some sort of medication, right Hannah?" IAB confirmed.

"Yes."

The next question was directed at Mac. "And you had your medical examiner screen for those types of drugs?"

"Yes. Sid Hammerback is doing it as we speak," Mac confirmed.

"Alright, I think we have what we need here," the IAB agent said and stood up to leave.

He shook Mac and Hannah's hands and left Mac's office.

"You did good, kid," Mac told his daughter.

Later that day Lindsay and Stella were boxing up the evidence from the case when Mac came in to help them.

"Hey Mac," Stella greeted. "How's Flack?"

"They're returning him to active duty. He's cleared. Hannah really came through for him," Mac told them.

"He'll be glad to hear that," Stella replied.

"Yeah, I was actually on my way to the precinct to tell him and I was gonna take him out for a drink after I picked up Hannah from the wrestling match she's cheering at," Mac explained.

"Can I pick Hannah up, Mac? There's something else I need to do at the school anyway," Lindsay said.

"Sure, Lindsay, if you want to. Thanks," Mac said.

He bid his goodbyes to Stella and Lindsay and left for the precinct. When he arrived at the precinct he found Flack sitting at his desk working on the same crossword puzzle he had been earlier that day. He really wasn't very good at them.

"I believe these belong to you," Mac said, handing Flack his badge and weapon. "You've been cleared."

"Thanks, Mac," Flack replied and took his weapon and badge from Mac.

"Don't thank me. It was ultimately Hannah who came through for you. She recognized that something wasn't quite right with Flemming and talked to IAB and had me have Sid do a secondary tox screen," Mac explained.

"Wow. I owe her a big thanks," Flack said.

"The Rangers are playing. You wanna go get a drink and catch the end of the game?" Mac asked his friend.

"I thought you didn't like hockey?" Flack asked with a smile.

"I don't," Mac replied and the pair left the precinct.

Lindsay had something she needed to take care of. She stopped on her way to Hannah's school and bought a dozen white roses. When she arrived at Hannah's school she gave those roses to Coach Nelson's widow. She hugged the grieving woman and it made her feel really good to do something nice for her. When they parted Lindsay stood there and took in the sights of the gym in front of her: Hannah's cheerleading squad was cheering for Hillridge to win, the wrestlers were wrestling, and the crowd was clapping.

When the match was over Hannah went over to where she saw Lindsay.

"Hey Lindsay, where's my dad?" Hannah asked after hugging Lindsay.

"He's out with Flack. I was coming here anyway so I offered to pick up. What do you say we go get some ice cream?" Lindsay said.

"In January?" Hannah asked.

Lindsay gave her a _'Sure, why not?' _look.

"Alright, let's go," Hannah agreed.

Lindsay drove them to the ice cream shop and the two girls spent the next few hours having girl talk.

Here's the next chapter. It's one of my favorites. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading. Reviews welcome. I'll try to update soon but I have a busy weekend coming as I'm in a wedding so I may not be able to update until Monday.


	9. Talking to Danny

**(Very loosely based on Green Piece) **

**Talking to Danny**

Hannah looked at her phone after school that day and saw that she had a text from Mac.

_Stella wants to take us to dinner. You in?_

Hannah typed her reply. _Sure, I'll come to the lab after cheerleading practice._

When practice was over Hannah changed out of her practice clothes and back into her jeans and headed to the lab. When she arrived she got in the elevator and put in the access code that Mac had given her. When the doors opened she stepped off the elevator and headed to Mac's office.

"Hey Dad," she said from the doorway.

"Hey, Han, how was school?" Mac replied.

"Pretty good. Is Stella ready, I'm starved," Hannah said, standing behind the chair in front of Mac's desk.

"Not quite yet. You can sit over there and work on homework if you need to," Mac told her.

"I'm caught up on homework; do you mind if I go say hi to the rest of the team?" Hannah asked, setting her backpack down on the couch in Mac's office.

"Sure, I think Danny's in DNA and Hawkes and Lindsay are in Trace I believe," Mac informed her.

"Alright," Hannah said and left Mac's office, heading toward DNA.

"Hey Danny!" Hannah said when she saw him in DNA.

"Hey HT!" Danny replied, pulling her into a hug.

HT was a nickname Flack and Danny had given her shortly after they had met because her initials are H and T.

"Whatchya working on?" Hannah asked.

Without giving her too many details Danny told Hannah about the DNA he had collected and was now processing. She was always interested in learning about the science and cases that Mac and the team were working on. Stella thought she would follow in Mac's footsteps one day.

"So how're you feeling with the new baby coming?" Hannah asked Danny after he'd finished explaining what he was doing.

"Honestly Hannah, I'm so excited. I look at you and your dad and I want that," Danny told her.

Danny cleaned up his evidence and resealed it as he spoke and motioned for Hannah to follow him into the break room. When they were in the break room she continued to talk.

"What about Lindsay?" Hannah asked as Danny handed her a bottle of water.

"I really care about her. I might've screwed up in the past but I'm here now one hundred percent," Danny told her.

"You really love her don't you?" Hannah inquired.

"I do Hannah; I really do," Danny confessed.

"Have you told her that?" Hannah asked after a sip of water.

"Yeah, I asked her to marry me but she said no. She did say she loved me though," Danny told her.

"Maybe she just needs to be shown that you're there for her. You know, a little reassurance?" Hannah suggested. "I've got an idea but we'll need my dad and Stella's help. Come with me," Hannah told him and got up quickly and walked briskly down the hall.

Danny followed Hannah down the hall to Mac's office. Hannah burst in the door to Mac's office.

"Dad I need you to help me with something," Hannah said quickly.

"Whoa, Hannah, slow down, what is it?" Mac said observing his daughter with Danny close behind.

A few hours later Lindsay got a text from Mac that said they had a body at the City Clerk's office. When she showed up she saw a sign that read "Wedding Ceremonies $25 money order" and Mac, Stella, and Hannah. Stella was holding a bouquet of flowers.

**(This next little part I'm gonna directly quote from the episode simply because I really like the way it was done. However I do not own CSI:NY)**

"Danny…" Lindsay says, seeing what he's done.

"Look, I'm tired of being afraid, alright? You and me? We make sense OK? You're everything I've always wanted. I wanna be with you. And I can be that guy you want me to be. I know I can. I am that guy," Danny said, pouring his heart out to her.

Stella looked over and smiled at Mac who was also waiting for Lindsay's response.

"I know you are," she finally replied.

"Then, let's walk through this door together. Come on, let's do it. Let's take that leap," Danny said.

After kissing Danny Lindsay says with a smile, "You got money order?"

Mac, Stella, and Hannah all smile too.

Just before the ceremony is to start Lindsay turns to Stella and Hannah and says, "What if I would've said no?"

"Not a chance," Stella replies with a smile.

They got through the ceremony without any major issues.

"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Messer," the priest said.

Danny and Lindsay kissed and Mac hugged Stella and then Hannah.

"What do you say we get out of here and go to the steakhouse to celebrate, my treat?" Mac suggested.

"Sounds good to me. I could definitely eat," Danny said with his hand on his stomach.

"You can always eat, Danny," Stella laughed.

When they arrived that the restaurant Don, Jess, Sid, Sheldon, and Adam were waiting for them.

"How'd they..." Lindsay started.

"A little birdie might've told them," Mac said with a wink.

They were seated and Mac ordered a round of champagne for everyone and soda for Hannah and water for Lindsay since she was pregnant.

"I'd like to make a toast to the new couple," Mac said, standing up and raising his glass.

Everyone raised their glasses.

"First, I'd like to say congratulations to you both. From the moment Lindsay arrived at this lab everyone could see that there was something special between you two even when you couldn't."

Flack and Hawkes gave each other looks that said, "_oh yeah."_

"Everyone knew that eventually you'd end up together. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness and joy and the best of luck when raising your child. They will be the best gift you will ever get," Mac said wrapping his free arm around Hannah's shoulders.

"Here here!" Everyone chorused and clinked glasses.

They continued to celebrate well into the night.

**To be continued…**

**Sorry it took me so long to update. I got really busy with work and school. I'll try to be better and update sooner. Thanks always for reading. Reviews welcome and encouraged. Thanks again. Enjoy chapter 9!**


	10. Mac's Day Off

Danny stepped into Mac's office around 2:30pm that day. It was a mild spring day in late April.

"Hey Mac, you got a second?" Danny asked him, standing in front of his desk.

"Sure Danny, what's up?" Mac replied, glad to have a distraction from the case file he was looking over.

"You and Hannah are close, right?" Danny started.

"Yeah," Mac said, nodding his head, "she tells me everything."

"What if I'm not a good father to the baby?" Danny confessed.

"Danny, mine and Hannah's situation is a special one. You will be there for every part of that baby's life. Hannah and I had to start from the ground up and we have a great relationship. You'll be a great father Danny; and if not you're the only father that baby will know so it won't know any different," Mac joked.

"Ha ha very funny Mac," Danny laughed.

"No, but seriously, you'll be a great father," Mac told him.

"Thanks Mac," Danny said.

Mac just nodded and said, "Now get back to work," with his signature half smile.

Danny smiled back and exited Mac's office.

The rest of the day went by relatively normally. There was a break in the case they had been working on and Flack brought the suspect in and the got a confession.

The next day however, wouldn't be quite as calm. Mac woke up around 6:30am and went into Hannah's room to wake her up for school.

"Hey, Hannah, it's time to get up," he said, gently shaking her.

Hannah rolled over and opened her eyes.

"If you hurry I'll take you to breakfast before school," Mac told her.

"Don't you have to get to the lab?" Hannah asked, sitting up in bed.

"I'm taking the day off," Mac informed her.

Hannah gave Mac a look as though he had sprouted antennae.

"Come on, go get ready and we'll go eat," Mac said, smiling at his daughter.

It was a little after seven when Hannah was ready. She grabbed her backpack and followed Mac downstairs to the Avalanche. They went to Mac's favorite diner and had breakfast. After breakfast Mac drove Hannah to school. He then headed to meet someone very important. That person was Talmadge Neville. After Mac had unsuccessfully tried to get Talmadge to tell him what actually happened, he decided he needed Flack's help so he made his way to the precinct.

"I thought you took the day off?" Flack inquired when Mac got there.

"Why is everyone concerned about what I do on my day off? Mac asked and took a sip of his coffee.

"Why do you wanna reopen this case Mac? I thought it was pretty cut and dry." Flack said.

"Talmadge Neville was released today and I just keep thinking what if that was Hannah lying in the street. I'd want the real person responsible to pay," Mac told his friend.

Flack nodded his understanding.

"So how are things going with you two?" Flack asked.

"Things are great. She's a great kid. I just can't figure out why Claire wouldn't tell me about her," Mac inquired.

"Does she ever ask about Claire?" Flack asked.

"Yeah, all the time; the hardest part though is that I want to know about her life before me but I don't want to upset her by asking her about it," Mac confessed.

"She'll tell you when she's ready. Keep in mind that she lost both her foster parents; one pretty gruesomely," Flack told him.

"Yeah, I guess she's like me where she doesn't open up easily," Mac thought out loud.

Finally Flack found what he was looking for and printed the document and handed it to Mac.

"Thanks Don," Mac said, grabbing the paper and exiting the precinct.

Flack just nodded as Mac walked away.

Just then Mac got a text from Stella. _Linds is in labor. Danny's on his way to the hospital now. I'll keep you updated. Lunch later?_

Mac typed his reply: _Sure. Deli across from the lab at noon?_

_Sounds good: _was Stella's reply.

After Mac had taken care of some more business with the Maris Donovan case, he went to the deli to meet Stella.

"Hey," he greeted Stella when she joined him in the booth.

"Hey," Stella replied.

"How's Lindsay?" Mac asked after they had placed their orders.

"She's worried she's not going to be a good mother. I went to see her earlier," Stella told him.

"Yeah, I had the same conversation with Danny a couple of days ago," Mac said with a small smile.

"More importantly how are you and Hannah doing?" Stella asked him. "It's been almost a year, hasn't it?"

"Things are great. I can really see sometimes how's she's just like Claire…" Mac's voice trailed off.

"What's wrong Mac?" Stella asked. "Tell me," she said.

"I just want her to talk about what she witnessed that day in the bank. I can tell that sometimes it bothers her but she won't talk to me about it," Mac confessed.

"She will Mac; I'm sure it was very difficult for her. Think about Lindsay when she had to go back to Montana to testify. She didn't want to talk about it right away either but eventually she opened up to Danny," Stella assured him.

"Thanks Stella, you always know what to say," Mac told her.

"We've been partners for ten years. I think sometimes I know you better than you know you," Stella told him with a smile.

Mac smiled back at her. He paid the bill after the waitress set it down on the table.

"Well I should get back to the lab," Stella said.

She kissed Mac on the cheek and left him sitting at the deli. A little while later Mac headed to Hannah's school to pick her up. As he was waiting for her he got a text from Stella that said the baby was here. When Hannah walked out of her school she immediately saw Mac in the Avalanche and climbed in.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Hannah asked, surprised to see him.

"I thought I'd surprise you and pick you up today. Lindsay had her baby. You wanna go see it?" Mac asked his daughter.

"Definitely!" Hannah said excitedly.

A little bit later they had arrived at the hospital. Mac just sat there, not getting out.

"Dad?" Hannah said.

"I love you Hannah," Mac told her.

Hannah broke into a smile, "I love you too now let's go see that baby."

A few minutes later the whole team, minus Sid, was gathered in Lindsay's room.

"So does she have a name yet?" Hawkes.

"Lucy; Lydia," Danny and Lindsay said together.

"I guess that's a no then," Flack laughed.

After the laughter died down, Danny turned to Mac. "Mac, Lindsay and I were wondering if you'd like to be the god father," Danny asked.

"I'd love to," Mac replied.

"That's code for diaper changes," Flack joked.

"You get to spoil her," Hawkes said.

"I think Danny's got that covered," Mac said with a smirk.

Just then Stella grabbed the baby and handed her to Mac who smiled at her. The team gave Danny and Lindsay their gifts for the baby and stuck around until the end of visiting hours. One thing was known for sure: Baby Messer was loved by a lot of people.

**Here's chapter 10! Sorry it took me sooo long to update. I've gotten really busy with school but I've recently started a new job that'll give me more time to write. I hope you like chapter 10 and I promise I won't make you wait as long for chapter 11. Thanks for reading and reviews are always welcome. **


	11. Mac Chases Stella

**(Loosely based on Grounds for Deception)**

**Mac Chases Stella**

"_Oh Stella, what have you done this time?" _Mac thought to himself as he stared at the paining from Stella's office he had just smashed that belonged to Greece. That's when it hit him. The reason he couldn't find Stella was because she was in Greece. Mac knew he had to go after her. He had no choice. He texted Hannah asking her to come down to the lab. Before Hannah got there he called his team to the conference room to touch base on the case.

Danny told Mac about the plant that was native to Greece.

Lindsay talked about the murder weapon.

Sid the autopsy.

Flack had one question: "Where is Stella?"

"Stella's in Greece," Mac told them. "I have to go and bring her back. There's no telling what kind of danger she'll get herself in over there," Mac continued.

His team nodded in agreement.

"Would someone be willing to stay with Hannah while I'm gone?" Mac asked.

"She's more than welcome to stay with us, Mac," Lindsay said. Danny nodded in agreement.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. Everyone get back to work on the case and I'll keep you updated with what I find," Mac told them.

He left the conference room and went back to his office to book a flight. Shortly after that Hannah arrived at the lab.

"Hey Dad," Hannah said when she was in Mac's office.

"Hey Hannah," Mac replied. "Sit down, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Hannah did as she was told and took a seat in one of the chairs across from Mac. Mac told her about Stella and that she would be staying with the Messers.

"How long will you be gone?" Hannah asked.

"I'm not sure, it depends on how long it takes to tie up this Diakos case," Mac told her.

They chatted for a bit longer until Mac had to leave to catch his flight.

"I love you, be good for Danny and Lindsay." Mac told her.

"I love you too and I will," she assured him and hugged Mac.

After Mac had left Hannah set out to find Danny. She located him in the Trace Lab doing more research on his plant evidence.

"Hey Danny!" Hannah greeted when she found him.

"Hey HT! It looks like you're hanging with us for a while," Danny said.

"Looks that way," Hannah replied pulling a stool over to where Danny was. "Whatchya workin' on?"

"The plant evidence from the Diakos case," Danny told her and showed her his evidence, as much as he could without disclosing too much.

"Do you think my dad and Stella will be OK in Greece?" Hannah said genuinely concerned.

"Hannah, you're dad's a very smart man, so is Stella. They'll come home safe and sound," Danny told her, hoping there'd be some truth to his words.

After Danny had finished with his evidence his shift was over. Lindsay had already gone home since she still wasn't working full time after having the baby.

"What do you say we get out of here and go get Lindsay and Luc, and go get some pizza?" Danny suggested.

"That sounds awesome," Hannah agreed.

Danny put his evidence away and the pair left the lab.

When Mac landed in Greece he headed straight to the museum the painting belonged to. He didn't expect to see Stella there. He though he'd have to so some detective work to find her. After speaking with Greece authorities, Mac and Stella took a walk.

"How'd you know I was here?" Stella asked.

"Stell, come on, I'm the head of the New York Crime Lab, give me a little credit here," Mac said, mocking being hurt.

Stella just smiled and said, "Where's Hannah?"

"She's staying with Danny and Lindsay," Mac told her.

They continued to walk and talk about the case. They were starting to piece things together. When they got back to the hotel they went to their respective rooms.

Mac awoke to a ruckus down the hall coming from the direction of Stella's room. He grabbed his piece and headed down the hall. He found Stella being attacked in her room. He grabbed the guy off of Stella and chased him to the window. The attacker jumped off the balcony and got away.

"Are you OK?" Mac asked, breathing heavily.

Mac and Stella soon realized that they need to get to Professor P. before his brother did. The next day they zeroed in on where the rest of the artifacts must be buried and where they should head. Once there Professor Papakota's brother began shooting at them. Mac reacted quickly and pulled his gun out firing one…two… three bullets. Stella ran in the direction of Professor P. in order to confront him. As they were talking one of Professor P's brother's bullets hit him by accident. He and Stella crumpled to the ground and she watched as he died in her arms, tears streaming down her face, crying hysterically. Mac ran over to her to make sure she was alright and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, Mac," Stella said between sobs.

Mac just held her close and let her let it out.

Danny ran into the guest bedroom where Hannah was screaming in her sleep. He gently shook her awake.

"Hannah, what's the matter? You were screaming in your sleep," Danny told her, sitting down next to her on the bed.

Hannah sat up straight in bed and looked at Danny with a look he could only describe as pure terror. Something bad was plaguing the young teenager.

"Oh Danny it was awful. I had a dream that my dad got really hurt while he was in Greece," Hannah said, bursting into tears.

Danny pulled her into a tight hug, "Oh Hannah, I'm so sorry. I'm sure your dad is just fine."

Danny held Hannah and let her cry until she had fallen back to sleep. He gently laid her back down and covered her up.

"Is everything OK with Hannah?" Lindsay asked when Danny returned to bed.

He nodded and said, "Yeah, she just had a dream that he got seriously hurt in Greece."

Lindsay just shook her head and said, "That poor girl has been through so much."

"Too much," Danny added.

He gave Lindsay a kiss and turned over and went back to sleep.

When Mac and Stella arrived back in the States they immediately headed to the lab to finish the paperwork on the Diakos case. After all, it was really late and they were still on Greece time so they wouldn't have been able to sleep any way. After they had finished the paperwork they sat down on the couch in Mac's office with glasses of Greek tea.

"You sure this will work?" Mac asked, skeptical.

Stella was getting ready to read Mac's tea grounds.

"You see that," she said, showing Mac the cup, "That's a S for Stella, the woman in your life who you just adore," Stella said, smiling.

Mac smiled and said, "What about Hannah?"

Later that morning Mac drove to Danny and Lindsay's to pick Hannah up. When she saw him she gave him the biggest hug. Mac looked over her head at Danny with a quizzical look. Danny gave him a concerned look.

Mac knew there was something wrong with his daughter but he didn't know what it was and it was driving him crazy.

**To be continued…**

**Here's Chapter 11! Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been really busy with homework. It should get way better though because I've gotten all of it done now. I'll try to update soon. Thanks for reading and reviews are welcomed and encouraged. :)  
**


	12. Never Saw it Coming

(Loosely based on Pay Up)

**Never saw it coming**

Hannah looked at her phone she had left on the counter before she went to bed after she had made her way into the kitchen to find something for breakfast. Hannah was on summer vacation now and Mac was already at the lab but he would send her a good morning text every morning. This time when she looked at her phone she didn't expect what she saw.

_Jess has been shot. It's bad. Flack is on his way to the hospital with her. _

Hannah her apartment key that Mac had given her and ran out the door, frantically locking it behind her. She had a very specific destination in mind. Next thing she knew she was at the hospital. It didn't take her long to find Flack. He was sitting on a bench across from a nurses' station.

"Flack!" Hannah said, slightly out of breath.

Flack just looked at her with sadness in his eyes and shook his head slowly.

Hannah took a seat down next to him and didn't say anything. She really didn't know what to say. Just then, a nurse came out of the operating room. Flack stood up quickly and met her halfway. The look on Flack's face when he turned around told Hannah that it wasn't good news. Flack made his way back to the bench as tears began to fall. Hannah had never seen him cry before. She place da hand gently on his forearm to comfort him.

After he had calmed down Hannah turned to him and said, "I'm gonna step out for some air."

Flack just nodded at her through sad eyes. When Hannah was outside she called Mac.

"Taylor," Mac answered on the second ring.

"Hey Dad, I'm with Flack at the hospital. Jess didn't make it," Hannah said softly.

She could hear Mac curse quietly on the other end of the line.

"This son-of-a-bitch will not get away with this!" Mac told Hannah angrily.

"Take him down Dad! Make him pay!" Hannah replied.

"Don't worry, the NYPD has a long standing history; when one of our own is taken from us we always get our guy," Mac told her.

"I'm gonna go back inside and check on Flack. I'll talk to you later. Love you Dad," Hannah said.

"Alright. Thanks for staying with him, Hannah," Mac replied.

"No problem, Dad; bye," Hannah said and hung up.

Hannah walked back into the hospital and found Flack exactly where she had left him. She didn't say anything she just sat took her spot next to him and kept him company. A little bit later Danny walked up to where Flack and Hannah were sitting.

"How is she?" Danny asked.

"She's gone," Flack whispered and started to cry again.

Danny punched the wall near the nurses' station. Hannah knew this was bad. Danny got a text from Mac telling him to get back to the crime scene. After he left Hannah had an idea.

"You wanna go for a walk?" Some air might do you some good right now," Hannah suggested.

Flack nodded and followed Hannah out of the hospital. They walked in silence until they came to an ice cream stand.

"Do you want some?" Flack asked, pointing to the ice cream stand.

"Sure," Hannah replied and gave Flack a smile.

He bought the cones, a strawberry one for Hannah and a chocolate one for Flack, and they took a seat on a nearby bench.

"I never even got a chance to tell her I love her," Flack confessed.

This broke Hannah's heart.

"I am so sorry Flack," Hannah told him.

She was trying her best to help him.

"I wanna go to the morgue before Sid autopsies her. I have to see her one last time," Flack said.

Hannah just nodded and walked with him to the morgue. She let him go in by himself and say his goodbyes. As she was waiting, Sid walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Flack's in there," she told him.

Sid nodded and headed into the room. Hannah could hear him offer Flack some words of encouragement and promised him he'd take good care of her. Flack came out of the room with tear-stained cheeks.

"I have to get back to work," Flack said and headed toward the elevator.

Hannah stood there confused. When the elevator came back down she rode it up to the crime lab where she found Lindsay working on some evidence.

"Hey Lindsay," Hannah greeted.

"Hey Hannah, how's Flack doing? Your dad said you were with him this morning," Lindsay replied.

"Not good. He's really upset right now," Hannah told her.

Hannah hung out with Lindsay at the lab until she got a text from Danny and Hannah got a text from Mac saying almost the same thing. _We got him. We're meeting at the restaurant. _**(I know they were in a bar in the actual episode but I changed to a restaurant here so Hannah can go too)**

Lindsay drove them over to the diner where most everyone was there already. They were all seated at or near the restaurant's bar.

"I remember when Jess was new and we pulled the old, 'coroner's assistant plays dead and scares her' trick," Sid replied. "I thought she was never gonna speak to me again."

"She was a big fan of yours Sid," Flack replied and took a swig of his beer.

They continued to share stories about Jess until gunshots rang out. Everyone dove for cover. Danny threw himself over Lindsay, Mac threw himself over Hannah, Hawkes, Sid, and Flack covered Stella and dove under the bar. No one knew what was going on.

**To be continued…**

**Here's chapter 12! I hope you liked it. Thanks for reading. I'd really like to know what you guys think so far. I'll try to update soon. =)**


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